Tag Archives: Lent

Sorry about Last Week’s Bulletin. One of the casualties of the foot of snow we received the week before last was last Sunday’s bulletin. Our bulletin is printed in Pennsylvania and shipped to us every Friday by air through UPS, so when so many airports closed during the storm last week, and air freight began to back up…. O well. As I write this on Wednesday we are working on mailing the bulletins to you, so I hope you have received them by now. I’m very sorry for the inconvenience. Please remember, the bulletin is always available online on our website.

St. Valentine’s Day Dinner. Last Saturday, February 15, we had a full house for our St. Valentine’s Day Dinner for married and engaged couples. 100 couples attended and a really wonderful time seems to have been had by all. The food was terrific, the entertainment was outstanding, the service was superb and the decorations were beautiful. This is surely to become a new and cherished tradition of St. Raymond’s—although we may have to build a bigger hall to accommodate it in the future! In a time when the true meaning of marriage is being so undermined by our society today, this was great opportunity to support our couples, placing the joy of marital romance and love in the context of the love of Christ and His Church. Many thanks to Bob and Gerri Laird and all those on the Religious Freedom and Marriage Committee for their hard work to make this evening such an outstanding success.

Lent Approaches. Ash Wednesday is only 10 days away, so it’s time to begin thinking about what you will do to keep a holy Lent this year. Next week we will include a full schedule of the parish’s Lenten activities, but I hope you will mark your calendars today for two special events that I hope will help start the season on the right foot:

— Lenten Series: The day after Ash Wednesday, Thursday, March 6, Fr. Paul Scalia will begin a 5 week series of talks on “Praying the Psalms.” The talks will be every night Thursday, at 7:30, until April 3. The first talk, is entitled: “Sing Praises With A Psalm: Introduction to the Psalms.”

— “Mary of Nazareth”: on the first Sunday of Lent, March 9th, 2014 at 1:30pm, St. Raymond’s will be sponsor a special private showing of the movie Mary Of Nazareth at Kingstowne Regal Cinemas. Please see the insert and the article in this bulletin for more details.

Love Your Enemies. In this Sunday’s Gospel we continue our reading of the Sermon on the Mount, and hear Jesus tell us: “I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” These words of Jesus did not really present a new idea to the Jews of His time, in as much as they were imbedded in the moral teachings of the Old Testament, the 10 Commandments and the moral laws that elaborated on them, in particular the “second great commandment” to “love your neighbor.” But loving your enemy is very difficult, especially without the redeeming grace of Christ and His teachings. So, as Jesus would say elsewhere when questioned about the seemingly new and stricter moral demands of His Gospel: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” [Matt. 19:26]. So with Christ’s grace, and with his teaching, things change: it may be hard to love your enemy, but it is not only not impossible, but it is what we should all strive to do every day.

We all seem to have enemies. And by “enemies” I don’t mean people that we hate, but people who hate or even simply oppose us in some way. So in a certain sense this can apply to any relationship of opposition, from the simple and minor to the complex and important.

We usually see our “important” enemies pretty clearly: a person who hates you for the color of your skin, or who persecutes you because of your faith, or who violently attacks your country or yourself. But we also recognize our enemies in the simpler things of life: your co-worker who undermines your work or reputation to get ahead; an in-law that always treats you disrespectfully; another kid in school who gossips about you. Thus it has always been, in this world full of sin.

But we must still love them all. By the grace of Jesus, we must strive constantly to rise above insult, abuse, pain, and even mortal attack, and not seek to strike back in hatred, or even to let their hatred lead us to hate ourselves, but always responding with love. Our first reaction should be restraint, even, if possible, to turn the other cheek. Of course, sometimes we are compelled to defend ourselves or the innocent, using either words or physically force—but always controlling our words and actions with love and reason. Sometimes love even requires us to correct the other person. And, sometimes, as in the case of defending our country, love requires we use mortal force to protect the innocent—but even then we must love our enemies, using only the force that is reasonable, and tending to the wounds of the fallen. Love is always the measure of all things Christian.

As I mentioned above, this teaching was not really new to the Jews of Jesus’ time, and in a certain sense, it was not new to mankind in general at that time. But because of our fallen nature, it was a moral law easily forgotten, ignored or even despised throughout the ancient world. But Christ and Christianity began to change all that 2000 years ago. Does this mean that Christians have always loved their “neighbor” and their “enemy” as perfectly as they should? No. But by the grace of Christ we can rise above our sins, and must always strive to do so.

Thanks. My sincerest thanks to the scores of folks who expressed their support for me after a certain article about me appeared in the media last Sunday. I was profoundly humbled and strengthened by your kindness and loyalty. Since I have previously written extensively on the subject of the article I have no intension of making further comment, except to say two things: you shouldn’t believe everything you read in the media, especially when it’s about the Catholic Church, and “love your enemies, bless those who persecute you.”

Two Special Events in Lent. It’s a little early, but I wanted to give you a heads up about two parish events during Lent. First, I am excited to announce that St. Raymond’s will be presenting a special private showing for parishioners (and anyone else who asks!) of the movie MARY OF NAZARETH on the first Sunday of Lent, March 9th, 2014 at 1:30pm at Kingstowne Regal Cinemas. Please see the insert and the article in this bulletin for more details. Second, I am very pleased to tell you that Fr. Paul Scalia has agreed to present a Lenten Series on Thursday evenings during Lent. His topic will be on the Psalms. I invite you all to plan ahead so you can attend these very special Lenten events.

Latin in the Mass. In this column two weeks ago I asked for your input on whether we should introduce more Latin into the celebration of the 8:45 Mass. As I noted in my previous column, when I had asked the folks at the previous weeks 8:45 Mass for input I received a large number of responses, and they were overwhelmingly in favor of more Latin. I was a little disappointed that my column produced only a very few additional responses, but these too were mainly in favor of more Latin.

One thing I have gathered from all this is that some misunderstand the place of Latin in the modern liturgy. In particular, it seems some people think that Vatican II and the recent Popes discarded the use of Latin in the Mass. Actually the opposite is true: Vatican II and the Popes since the Council, have all encouraged and the use of Latin in the modern Mass. Allow me to quote them for you.

Veterum Sapientia, Blessed Pope John XXIII, February 22, 1962:

[2] In the exercise of their paternal care they [bishops] shall be on their guard lest anyone under their jurisdiction, eager for revolutionary changes, writes against the use of Latin … in the liturgy, or through prejudice makes light of the Holy Sees will in this regard or interprets it falsely.

[36] The use of the Latin language, with due respect to particular law, is to be preserved in the Latin rites … But since the use of the vernacular…may frequently be of great advantage to the people, a wider use may be made of it, especially in readings, …

[54] A suitable place may be allotted to the vernacular in Masses…especially in the readings … Nevertheless care must be taken to ensure that the faithful may also be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.

Our congregation has prepared a booklet entitled, “Jubilate Deo.”…This was done in response to a desire which the Holy Father had frequently expressed, that all the faithful should know at least some Latin Gregorian chants, such as, for example, the “Gloria”, the “Credo”, the “Sanctus”, and the “Agnus Dei”. It gives me great pleasure to send you a copy of it, as a personal gift from His Holiness, Pope Paul VI. … [W]hen the faithful gather together for prayer … their unity finds particularly apt and even sensible expression through the use of Latin Gregorian chant.

2000 General Instruction of the Roman Missal, issued by decree of Blessed Pope John Paul II:

[12] Since no Catholic would now deny the lawfulness and efficacy of a sacred rite celebrated in Latin, the Council was able to acknowledge that “the use of the mother tongue frequently may be of great advantage to the people” and gave permission for its use.

[41] All things being equal, Gregorian chant should hold a privileged place, as being more proper to the Roman liturgy.… it is desirable that they [the faithful] know how to sing at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin …

Redemptionis Sacramentum, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, March 25, 2004 (personally mandated, approved and published by Bd. John Paul II).

[112] Mass is celebrated either in Latin or in another language….Priests are always and everywhere permitted to celebrate Mass in Latin.

Sacramentum Caritatis, Benedict XVI, February 22, 2007:

[62] … In order to express more clearly the unity and universality of the Church, … with the exception of the readings, the homily and the prayer of the faithful … [certain] liturgies could be celebrated in Latin. Similarly, the better-known prayers of the Church’s tradition should be recited in Latin and, if possible, selections of Gregorian chant should be sung.… [T]he faithful can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin …

Although Pope Francis seems to have not said anything as clear and forceful as his predecessors, or the Council, nevertheless, he often uses Latin in Mass, e.g., his Christmas Midnight Mass this year was almost entirely in Latin.

In addition to some minor misunderstanding of the Church’s position on Latin, there also seems to be, among a few, a small, gentle and unintentional intolerance for those who prefer a more traditional liturgy in general. As truly unintended as I’m sure this is, it still seems inconsistent with the commandment to “love one another”? As Bd. John Paul II wrote in 1980 (Dominicae Cenae), talking specifically about those who prefer Latin in the Mass, “It is therefore necessary to show not only understanding but also full respect towards these sentiments and desires.”

It also seems that sometimes folks develop a certain proprietary attitude regarding the Mass they regularly attend, as if it is “their Mass.” To a certain extent I understand this: it’s convenient, you’re comfortable, you’re with your friends. But in the end, no one person or group “owns” any of the Masses. So if I make a reasonable change in a particular Mass—one out of seven—to accommodate a need in the parish, I would hope everyone, in simple Christian charity, would make adjustments. I hope this doesn’t mean you have to go to a different Mass, but for some it might.

Finally, a few have written that they don’t think it does any good to give me input because I “don’t listen.” Friends, if I didn’t listen to you I would not only be a fool, but I would have made a lot more changes (many of them very foolish) a long time ago to suit my personal preferences. But instead I have tried my best to listen, and to learn from and respond to what I heard. Sometimes listening causes me to change my mind, or to refrain from taking action, or to explain my reasoning to you. In any case, I promise to try to listen to everyone who has something to say, but I also promise to always try to do what I think is the right thing. Please God.

February 17, 2013
Homily by Fr. John De Celles
St. Raymond of Peñafort Catholic Church, Springfield, Va.

This last Monday the world woke up to the stunning news
that Pope Benedict XVI would resign, effective at the end of this month.
The first reaction of most of us seemed to be shock.
Which led to an initial response, even from the media,
that was very human:
one expressing human warmth and affection
toward this great and holy man,
and sadness that he would be leaving us.

But this didn’t last long—at least not for “the world” and it’s media.
As the surprise wore off, so did the positive news coverage,
as the message began change.
The coverage fell into the usual predictable paradigm
of seeing the Church as a merely human institution
And–surprise surprise—it turns out the media’s judgment
is largely that Benedict XVI was a failure as pope,
that under him the Church has become irrelevant
and that in order to make a comeback
his successor has to change the Church
to become more in line with the values of the world.

All this as we begin Lent, the holiest, most unworldly season of the year.

Today’s Gospel is a summation of Lent.
Like Jesus, for 40 days we go out into the desert,
to be purified and prepared to enter into our true mission,
which is to live and proclaim the Gospel of salvation.

In daily life it’s easy to get fixated on the good things of creation, “creatures,”
versus the goodness of the Creator,
and to make them more important, to love them more than God.
Whether its material stuff, like food or drink, or nice homes or money;
or even people that we genuinely care for or simply use for our enjoyment;
or popularity or merely acceptance.
It’s easy to cling to these things.
But in Lent we go into a spiritual desert with Christ
to try to strip away anything that leads us away from God,
any inordinate attachments to things, or to sins.

And so we do penances, in particular making sacrifices,
giving up things just as Jesus gave up everything in desert:
reminding us we are in the desert, trying to focus on the Creator.

And we pray: again, me and the creator.
And this prayer consists both in our private conversations with God,
and with the unified worship of the Church as the Body of Christ.
And so it includes most importantly the sacraments,
especially the sacraments of the Eucharist and penance,
where we encounter Christ most intimately,
both individually and as the Church, and he leads us to his Father.
His grace pouring out on us, strengthening us, and bringing us closer to him.
Me and Jesus.
Us and Jesus, alone in the desert with His Father and Spirit.

To me it seems Benedict’s resignation as we enter Lent is perfect timing.
Because it reminds us that like Christ himself,
the Church cannot go forward with its mission
unless we are constantly purified and renewed,
constantly stripping away the things of the world
and refocus on Christ and his grace.
Then and only then can we go forward to live and proclaim the gospel.

What a perfect atmosphere in which to pick a new pope,
who will lead us forward to live and proclaim the Gospel.

But that is the exact opposite of what we see in the media.
And let me stop here and say, this isn’t merely a critique of the media
—the media is simply all too often the voice of
what Jesus used to call “the world”:
the worldly values that put the creature before the creator.

The media sees the electing of the new pope in strictly worldly terms.
For example, it points to some corruption in the Vatican bureaucracy,
and makes the election about choosing a competent CEO/manager.
Or it points to declining Mass attendance,
or in the number of Catholics who disagree with Catholic moral teaching,
and it says we need a “progressive” pope to make changes
to modernize the church
And it points to the increasing importance of itself—the media—
and says we need a pope who has media-savvy,
and is a crowd-pleaser
and a great communicator, especially with the young.

And of course, they see the antithesis of this in Benedict:
they call him bookish, professorial, aloof, doctrinally rigid,
and managerially in over his head.

But the thing is, as Jesus reminded the first Pope, St. Peter, his job was to be,
“thinking …as God does, [not] as human beings do.”
And once when Peter failed to do that Jesus said to him:
“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.”

Anytime we think merely as human beings do
—as sinners caught up in the things of the world—
we become obstacles to Christ and his mission in the world,
taking the side of Satan.

We go into the desert, now, to get away from all that—the world.
But notice what happens to Jesus at the end of the 40 days.
There’s that old Satan, the Devil, there to tempt him.
And notice how he does that.

First, he says: “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
Now, Jesus had given up food for 40 days,
perfecting his self-discipline over the desires of the flesh
—even the good and natural desires.
Not because the flesh is bad,
but because all human desires and all good things can be corrupted
if we don’t remember what they’re for, and use them properly.
So, for example, even love can be corrupted: you can love someone,
but selfishness can corrupt that love
and wind up smothering the other person.

Christ goes into the desert, and we go into lent,
to focus on loving not the created good, but the Creator
and then asking letting the Creator tell us what he created this thing for.
And so Jesus answered the devil:
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”

In the midst of the Pope’s resignation and succession,
so many are caught in focusing on the created things, not on the Creator.
Some people say: “the new pope has needs to change the teaching on xyz.”
But all they’re really saying is “focus on the creatures and what they say.”
But what the Church must do and say is,
“focus on the Creator, and what God says.”

In his second temptation the devil showed Jesus,
“all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant,”
and “said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Sometimes if you listen carefully, it seems like the world has its own religion,
that some call “secularism.”
Here again, the object of worship is the created thing, not the creator.
The feelings of the creature, and the enjoyment of created things
—this is what so many, including ourselves a lot of the time,
are devoted to.

And if you don’t think the devil is a working behind the scenes to promote this,
just look at the Gospels.
Notice how the devil tries to tempt Jesus:
he’s trying to appeal to what he sees in all other men
—this disordered love for created things.
He’s not inventing it, but he’s an expert at manipulating and confusing.
And in doing that, the devil places his word, not God’s word,
as the way of ordering our approach to creatures.
And so we wind up serving him—a creature!

But of course, Jesus isn’t like other men
—he sees things clearly and hears the Word of his Father distinctly.
And so he says in reply,
“It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.”

Nowadays, everyone’s’ trying to tell us what we should think,
and telling us their own version of good and evil.
You hear people say, well everyone does it,
or the polls show that people think this is good or bad.

You know what?
Who cares?
Whether it’s in our own life or in the life of the Church,
whether it’s in personal moral decisions
or the election of new pope,
do we serve polls? do we serve creatures?
Or do we worship and serve the Lord, our God?

For his third temptation Satan led Jesus to the top of the temple,
“and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels …to guard you…”

Here he appeals to ultimate disordered corruption of the love of creatures
–where the creature loves himself above all things.
Pride.
Again, thinking Jesus is just an ordinary man,
Satan appeals to his pride:
“you’re so wonderful, do what you want
and God will obediently come to your aid.”

Many of us think the same thing every day:
“God loves me so much, even though he says xyz is a sin,
he won’t hold it against me.”
So, the creator becomes the servant, God worships man.
No.
And so “Jesus said to him …, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”

If you listen carefully to what some are saying
about Pope Benedict and his successor, you hear this same thing
“The next pope needs change its teaching on
marriage, or whatever.”
As if the Pope can just change whatever he wants,
even when it goes directly against the teaching of Christ.
As if God will say, oh, okay, you know best…
I’m just the all-knowing, all-loving, all-power Creator of the universe,
and you are, after all, the Pope.

It just doesn’t work that way—he is God, and the pope is his servant,
not the other way around.

In Lent we go out into the desert with Christ to be purified by penance and grace,
to love God above all things.
This Lent the cardinal-electors in Rome must do the same thing,
and we must join them in solidarity.
God, Christ, comes first.
Me and Jesus, the Church and God.

And in his mercy, God has provided us with a magnificent example to follow: Pope Benedict himself.
It’s clear from the words of his resignation and everything he’s’ said since
that he made this decision not to serve himself, but God alone.

To him, nothing’s been more important than God.
Not food, as the devil tried to tempt Christ.
Not personal comfort, not a powerful job.

To him, it’s all about worshipping God, not the things God created.
Like Jesus’ response to the devil’s offer to worship him,
Benedict reminds us that we don’t worship the man who is pope,
we revere the office he holds, but worship God alone.
In stepping down, he reminds us that the pope is just a man,
and has authority only to the extent Christ gives it to him.

And to him, it’s not about pride or self-importance.
As he steps off the throne,
the murmurs of the media and his enemies grow louder and louder
—he was an ineffective pope, a bad manager,
a disappointment after John Paul II.
But he smiles, waves goodbye, and serenely entrusts the judgment of his papacy
not to the world or its media,
and not even so much to history,
but fundamentally to the judgment of God alone.

What a great gift the lord Jesus gives us in the office of Pope,
to shepherd his flock, to be rock of strength for 2000 years.
And what a great gift Jesus gave us in Benedict,
a brilliant, brave and clear-sighted shepherd,
but above all a humble, holy servant of God.

Would that we might imitate Benedict this Lent,
as he goes off to a life of prayer and reflection
—off to his own desert of sorts.
Him and Christ in the desert.
Let us pray that we and the whole Church may imitate him as he imitates Christ,
not clinging to the creatures of the world or seeking to serve them first,
but clinging to Christ,
and seeking serve our Creator,
Father Son and Holy Spirit,
First, last and always.

LENT. This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. As I’ve said many times, this is my favorite season, in as much as it calls us to meditate on the ineffable and immense love of God that it would lead Him to die for our sins. At the same time, then, it is also a time to consider our sins—how we have failed to love him—and to work to overcome them, through our diligent efforts and His grace.

Lent, of course, brings a much busier parish schedule, which we’ve laid out in detail in this week’s insert. Please keep this insert in a central place in your home to remind you of the many opportunities for spiritual growth the parish offers this Lent. Please also note, we will NOT be adding any Masses to our Lent schedule, e.g., we will have an evening weekday Mass only on Wednesdays (as usual). But we will be adding confessions every weekday evening (see the insert for details).

Ashes will be distributed at all 4 Masses on Ash Wednesday: 6:30am, 8am, 12noon and 7pm. Since ashes are merely symbolic, and not a sacrament, they may be received by anyone who wishes to repent their sins—Catholic or not, in “good standing” or not. (Note: There are no confessions scheduled on Ash Wednesday).

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of both fasting and abstinence, and every Friday in Lent is a day of abstinence. Failure to “substantially” keep these penances is a grave matter (e.g., potentially a mortal sin). The law of abstinence requires that no meat may be eaten on these days, and binds all Catholics who are 14 years old or older. No other penance may be substituted. The law of fasting binds those who are between the ages of 18 and 59. The Church defines “fasting,” for these purposes, as having only one full meal a day, with two additional smaller meals permitted, but only as necessary to keep up strength and so small that if added together they would not equal a full meal. Snacking is forbidden, but that does not include drinks that are not of the nature of a meal. Even though these rules do not bind all age groups, all are encouraged to follow them to the extent possible. Children in particular learn the importance of penance from following the practice of their older family members. Special circumstances can mitigate the application of these rules, i.e., the sick, pregnant or nursing mothers, etc.

Of course all Catholics are encouraged to do personal acts of penance throughout the season of Lent, traditionally of three types: almsgiving (including acts of charity), sacrifice (what you “give up”), and prayer. Please choose your penances carefully, considering your health and state in life. Challenge yourself, but pick things you can actually do, rather than things that are so lofty or difficult that you may easily give up on them. Offer all this in atonement for your sins and as acts of love for the God who, out of love, died on the Cross for your sins.

Sacrament of Penance. Confession is really key to our fruitful observance of Lent. In fact, it is one of the Precepts of the Church that all Catholics “shall confess your sins at least once a year,” which is usually tied to the Lenten season. I strongly encourage that you take advantage of our extended Lent confession schedule—confessions are scheduled every day in Lent (accept Ash Wednesday). However, I ask that you do not postpone your confession to the end of Lent, as many did last year, when we had to have four priests hearing long lines—literally “out the door”—every weekday evening in the last two weeks. This year, with only two priests, if that same phenomena occurs it will extremely difficult on all of us. So, again, please go to confession early on in Lent, especially if you don’t go to confession frequently. As I did in Advent, I am trying to get extra visiting priests to come and help with confessions—but this is not an easy task since confessors are in such high demand during Lent.

Also, I remind you that while we schedule confessions every Sunday morning, that is not the optimal time to go to confession, since only one priest is hearing confession and stops hearing once Mass begins (those attending Sunday Mass should normally be participating in the Mass, not in confession). Moreover, Sunday confession times are provided not as a mere convenience but mainly to meet the real needs of those who truly cannot attend on other days or are otherwise in need of the sacrament.

Lenten Series. As I mentioned last week, Fr. Paul Scalia will be giving a Lenten series every Thursday evening during Lent, beginning February 21st. His topic will be “The Beatitudes: The Ladder to Holiness.” I highly encourage all of you to attend these talks.

SCOUT SUNDAY and BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA. Today, Sunday, we will remember “Scout Sunday” at the 8:45 Mass, followed by a ceremony in the Parish Hall honoring all those involved in scouting in our parish: Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Explorers, American Heritage Girls, etc.. I am happy to recognize the good and hard work these children and their adult leaders do and the good qualities they take away from traditional scouting! So please join me in saluting and encouraging them all, especially our boys and girls and young men and women. God bless them all!

But on a national and international level, traditional scouting values have come on hard times. As I mentioned in last week’s column, this last Wednesday (Feb. 6) the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America (NEB) was supposed to vote on whether to change their rules to allow actively “gay” persons to become members and leaders in Boy Scouts. This would have been the death knell for traditional scouting as we know it.

Thanks be to Christ, as I write this column (on Wed., Feb. 6) the word comes that the NEB has decided to postpone any decision and lay the matter before a vote of the 1,400 member National Council of the BSA at their National Annual Meeting in May. This surprise about-face is directly the result of the tens (hundreds?) of thousands of complaints registered against the proposal in just in the last few days. So I want to thank all of you who prayed and called, emailed or wrote BSA—you made a difference! Unfortunately, though, this is just a postponement, and we must keep up our efforts to protect our boys from the potentially devastating effects of this still-proposed change, and to keep the Boy Scouts “morally straight.”